Are The 2016 Twins A Young Team?

EXPLAINING WEIGHTED AGE

First, it is important to know what the term weighted age means. Basically, it is how Baseball-Reference measures the age of a team. For hitters, it is a formula using at-bats and games played. For pitchers, the formula includes (3 x games started) plus games plus saves. As you can see, the overall age is based on playing time. Joe Mauer’s age (32) bears more weight than Max Kepler’s age (23) because Mauer has many, many more at-bats and games played in 2016. Basically, playing time is used in conjunction with the age in order to determine weighted age.

What does this mean? The numbers that you will see below for 2016 are going to change. Should the Twins go into sell mode at some point this season and trade veterans and then call up young players, the weighted age will go down.

But the narrative that the Twins struggles are at least in part due to youth speaks to right now. And right now, the Minnesota Twins are not a particularly young team.

THE 2016 TWINS ROSTER

The average age of the Twins pitchers this year is 29.0. Ricky Nolasco and Ervin Santana are 33. 32-year-old Casey Fien still accounts for a percentage of this year’s age. Kevin Jepsen is 31. Fernando Abad and Phil Hughes are 30. Of course, if Glen Perkins (33) were healthy, the average age would be even higher. Kyle Gibson and Ryan O’Rourke are the eldest of the ‘below average-aged’ pitchers at 28. Ryan Pressly is 27. Trevor May and Michael Tonkin at 26. Of course, as Tyler Duffey (25) and Jose Berrios (22) make more starts, the weighted age for Twins pitchers will go down some.

The average age of the Twins hitters this year is 27.4. That is helped by 22-year-old Byron Buxton and 23-year-old Miguel Sano getting a lot of at-bats early in the season. Eddie Rosario (24) and 25-year-olds Oswaldo Arcia, Danny Santana and John Ryan Murphy all factor into it as well. Eduardo Escobar (27) is right about the average age. Meanwhile 29-year-olds Brian Dozier, Byung Ho Park and Eduardo Nunez all have significant at-bats. Trevor Plouffe is 30. Kurt Suzuki is 32, and Joe Mauer is 33. At some point, Buxton will get back and that will lower the age. If eventually John Ryan Murphy or 26-year-old Juan Centeno take more at- bats from Suzuki, that will lower it. If the Twins were to do what some fans would like and trade Trevor Plouffe, Miguel Sano could move to third base and Max Kepler (23) could play right field. Eventually one would think Jorge Polanco (23) will also get more playing time.

TWINS HISTORY BY AGE

I looked at all 56 years of Minnesota Twins history. The 2016 Twins hitters (27.4 average age) rank 24th while the 29.0 year old pitchers ranked 50th of the 56 Twins rosters in age.

It is important to note that this weighted age is just a number. It isn’t any sort of direct correlation to winning or losing. Obviously the talent of the players, regardless of the age, determines the winning. Here is a quick look at some of the best Twins teams in history:

1965 - Hitters (27.4), Pitchers (28.5)

1969 - Hitters (28.9), Pitchers (28.9)

1987 - Hitters (27.8), Pitchers (31.4)

1991 - Hitters (29.1), Pitchers (28.6)

2006 - Hitters (28.2), Pitchers (26.9)

That 1987 Twins pitching staff was led by Frank Viola (27) and Bert Blyleven (36). They also had starts from 42-year-olds Joe Niekro and Steve Carlton. Their key bullpen guys were all over 31.

COMPARISON TO AL CENTRAL

Chicago - Hitters (29.1), Pitchers (28.2)

Cleveland - Hitters (29.8), Pitchers (28.1)

Detroit - Hitters (29.8), Pitchers (29.8)

Kansas City - Hitters (29.5), Pitchers (30.5)

Minnesota - Hitters (27.4), Pitchers (29.0)

So, compared to the division, the Twins hitters are a couple of years younger while the pitchers are right around average.

THE 1982 TWINS

Some compare this Twins team to the 1999 Twins team that contained more than a dozen rookies. Others like to think of the 1982 Twins team that developed the core for that 1987 championship team.

1982 Twins - Hitters (25.3), Pitchers (25.2)

1999 Twins - Hitters (26.8), Pitchers (26.3)

2016 Twins - Hitters (27.4), Pitchers (29.0)

The 1982 Twins roster ‘boasts’ the youngest hitters and youngest pitchers in the Twins 56 seasons. The roster was a good example of throwing people to the fire. Some were hits and a big part of the 1987 championship. Some are a good reminder that not all young players and prospects make it. Here’s a list:

Age - Name(s)

21 - Tom Brunansky

22 - Kent Hrbek, Lenny Faedo (SS), Brad Havens (LHP), Frank Viola

23 - Gary Gaetti, Randy Johnson (DH), Randy Bush, Jim Eisenrich

24 - Tim Laudner, Terry Felton (LHP), Jack O’Connor (LHP)

25 - John Pacella (RHP), Dave Engle (C/OF)

Larry Milbourne was a utility infielder who got 98 at-bats for that team. He was 31. Ron Washington was 30. He accumulated 451 at-bats. Fernando Arroyo (LHP, 30) pitched in six games.

The oldest pitcher who actually pitched quite a bit was RHP Albert Williams. He was 28 in 1982 and had already lived a very interesting life. He had signed with the Pirates in 1975 and pitched two years in the minors. He was released because the Nicaraguan government wouldn’t grant him a visa. He joined the Sandinista rebels and fought jungle warfare in the Nicaraguan Revolution. He was eventually smuggled out of the country and came to the States. He pitched for the Twins from 1980 until 1984.

Yes, the 1982 Twins were very young. That 1982 team took their lumps. They went 60-102. While they competed in 1984 until very late in the season, it was five years until the team made the playoffs and won the World Series.

SUMMARY

Part of what is so confusing about this 2016 team is that it has a solid mix of young, old and everything in between. There are veterans who have experienced success in the big leagues. Joe Mauer is having a tremendous season, but few other veterans are getting the job done to the level we would hope. That isn’t to say that they won’t, just that they haven’t yet.

The young guys are going through the somewhat-expected adversities. Miguel Sano isn’t hitting like he did in 2015. The league has adjusted to him, and now he will need to show that he can adjust back. That isn’t an easy thing to do. Just ask Danny Santana, Oswaldo Arcia, Kennys Vargas and Eddie Rosario. That doesn’t mean they won’t. It just takes time, and it’s different for everyone.

While there are several very young players on the Twins roster and there will likely be several more getting significant playing time as the season moves on (which will lower their average age over the course of the season), it isn’t accurate to call this a young team.